


Family

by Jedi_Olympian



Series: Kenobi Legacy Series [4]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Din Djarin Needs a Hug, Found Family, Gen, Good Parent Din Djarin, Grandpa Boba Fett, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker, Mandalorian Boba Fett, Mentioned Original Female Character, New Jedi Order (Star Wars), Protective Din Djarin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 14:41:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29918442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jedi_Olympian/pseuds/Jedi_Olympian
Summary: Din continues on his journey to find a Jedi for Grogu and learns a few things along the way. A one-shot add-on for my story Legacy.
Relationships: Boba Fett & Original Female Character(s), Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Luke Skywalker/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Kenobi Legacy Series [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1937962
Kudos: 10





	Family

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to the newest add-on for my Kenobi Legacy series! This takes place maybe a month or two after Kal had met Mando on Nevarro and between chapters 41 and 42.
> 
> Remember, in my story, Boba hadn't been in the Sarlacc pit, so he still has all his hair that was seared off from being in the pit. Also, in a Legacy chapter I had said Boba's armor was made from durasteel, which at the time it was considered that, but the continuity changed because of The Mandalorian, so it is now beskar, but I'm not going to go change that one throwaway line.
> 
> Hope you enjoy it!

9 ABY

Din watched as the Togruta female, Ahsoka Tano, smiled at the kid he had been tasked to protect. They had found the Jedi the previous day, but now it was morning, and she said she was going to test him. He wasn't particularly sure what she meant by a test, hoping it wasn't the same as the tests the Empire had run on the kid in the short time they had him. But if Ahsoka was a Jedi, the people Din had been told to search out and return the kid to, then he trusted her, even if he was still wary.

"Let's see what knowledge is lurking inside that little mind," Ahsoka said, gently bopping the kid on the nose before moving away.

Din moved to set the kid, Grogu, he had to get used to calling him by his name, on a rock nearby while Din moved off to the side. He watched as the Jedi stood a good distance from the kid and held out her hand, then his eyes widened beneath the helmet as a stone she was holding lifted into the air. He had never seen anything like it. Sure, he saw the kid lift a large mudhorn, choke Cara, heal Greef, and stop a stream of fire, but he felt like he never had the chance to fully process any of it. They had all happened so fast.

But the woman in front of him moved the stone slowly, carefully, with Intense focus. Din followed it with his eyes as it traveled to Grogu who plucked it from the air and cooed.

Ahsoka held out her hand. "Now, return the stone to me, Grogu."

When the small green child didn't respond, Din said, "He doesn't understand."

"He does," Ahsoka assured. Din seemed apprehensive since the kid never seemed to understand him, or perhaps the kid just never wanted to listen. "It's okay."

The kid dropped the stone, letting it clatter to the ground, and Din sighed. He'd seen what the kid could do, so why was he choosing now to be stubborn?

Ahsoka walked up to Grogu and knelt in front of him. She grabbed his tiny hand delicately between her fingers and bowed her head. Din had no clue what she was doing or maybe sensing was the right word. He didn't understand what Jedi were or what being one meant. Part of him wanted to go back to when things were simpler and all he had to worry about was collecting bounties, but as he watched Ahsoka connect with the kid, he knew deep down he couldn't leave him. He couldn't return to that life, even if he didn't understand. He could try.

"I sense much fear in you," Ahsoka said quietly, opening her eyes. Grogu made small noises in response as she stood and walked back to where she had been standing before. "He's hidden his abilities to survive over the years." The thought of it saddened Din. He didn't know what he would do if he was forced to push part of himself away and hide it from others. "Let's try something else. Come over here."

Grogu didn't move. "He's stubborn," Din told her, misunderstanding.

"Not him." Din looked at her. "You." She waved him over. "I want to see if he'll listen to you."

"That would be a first."

"I like firsts. Good or bad, they're always memorable."

Din still wasn't sure, not believing the kid would listen to him as he never had before, but he accepted the stone from Ahsoka and she stood by his side. "Now, hold the stone out in the palm of your hand. Tell him to lift it up."

He did as he was told. "Alright, kid. Lift the stone."

Ahsoka leaned closer to him and reminded, "Grogu."

Din watched her walk off to the side and lean against a tall stone, and he adjusted his weight, feeling a little ridiculous. "Grogu," he said. The kid picked up his head with a small coo. That was a start. "Come on, take the stone." Grogu didn't do anything other than look down. Din looked at Ahsoka. "You see? I told you, he's stubborn."

"Try to connect with him."

 _Connect?_ he repeated in his mind, turning back to Grogu. _How am I supposed to do that?_ His eyebrows creased as he got an idea.

Din glanced down toward his belt, remembering the small ball that the kid kept trying to take. It was supposed to be the handle of a shift in his ship, not a toy, but Grogu seemed attached to it, wanting to play with it whenever he got the chance. Din reached into his belt and pulled it out. He looked at it for a moment, contemplating. _Maybe_. . .

"Grogu," Din said slowly, holding up the silver ball. Grogu watched as he knelt lower, brushing as the cape to lean set his hand on his thigh. "Do you want this?" Din held it up for Grogu to plainly see. "Well, go ahead." Grogu lifted his hand, eyeing the ball. "That's right, take it. Come on, you can have it. Come on."

The ball flew from Din's hand to Grogu's, swifter than Ahsoka had done with the stone.

Din jumped up with a grin hiding beneath the mask. "Good job! Good job, kid." He started walking over to Grogu. "You see that?" He knelt in front of Grogu. "That's right. I knew you could do it." Grogu gave him the ball back, staring up at him with his wide eyes. "Very good."

"He's formed a strong attachment to you," Ahsoka noted nearby.

He glanced back at Ahsoka then smiled at Grogu even though the kid couldn't see it. Grogu babbled a little, making Din smile more.

"I cannot train him."

The smile slid from Din's face as he turned to Ahsoka. "What?" he asked, standing up. "Why not?" They walked toward each other, and Din pointed at Grogu. "You've seen what he can do."

"His attachment to you makes him vulnerable to his fears," she explained. "His anger."

Din didn't understand. "All the more reason to train him."

"No," Ahsoka said firmly, stepping toward him. "I've seen what such feelings can do to a fully trained Jedi Knight. To the best of us." He heard the smallest break in her voice. She looked away, toward Grogu. "I will not start this child down that path." She started walking away. "Better to let his abilities fade. I've delayed too long. I must get back to the village."

For a few moments he watched her walk away, but then he got another idea. "The Magistrate sent me to kill you," Din told her. Ahsoka stopped in her tracks and turned around. He could tell she was ready to fight her way out if need be, but he didn't plan on fighting her again. "I didn't agree to anything. And I'll help you with your problem if you see to it that Grogu is properly trained."

Din would do anything to help Grogu, and he believed that training was the proper course of action. So he'd be damned if he didn't get Grogu a teacher.

If that wasn't with Ahsoka, he needed her help to find one.

* * *

After fighting the Magistrate and freeing the village, Din woke up Grogu on the ship. He held the small child in his arms as he carried him to the loading ramp.

"You're like a father to him," Ahsoka said as she watched them. Din walked down the ramp. "I cannot train him." She still had much to do before she was ready to take on any apprentices.

"You made me a promise, and I held up my end," Din reminded walking over to her.

Ahsoka reached out and held Grogu's hand, looking over him with sad eyes. Oh, how he reminded her of Master Yoda. "There is one possibility. I cannot train him, but. . ." She looked up at the shiny Mandalorian. "There is someone who can."

"Who?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "There's something you first must do. Grogu needs to choose his path. It cannot be chosen for him. Becoming a Jedi is a difficult journey full of trials, and he needs to choose it if you are to continue down the path of finding him a teacher." She let go of Grogu's hand. "Go to the planet Tython. You will find the ancient ruins of a temple that has a strong connection to the Force. Place Grogu on the seeing stone at the top of the mountain."

"Then what?" Din asked.

"That's how Grogu will choose his path. It will allow him to connect to the Force and see if he would like to continue, to see what he's learned and what he's hidden, and he'll choose from there. If he reaches out through the Force, then they will sense his presence and come searching for him."

Din supposed that was as good as he was going to get. Off to another planet. "Thank you."

"May the Force be with you."

* * *

Kriff Tython. It could implode into a black hole for all Din cared.

He was forced to watch the kid as he was taken into the sky by flying, black droids shaped like stormtroopers. He hated the planet, and they hadn't been there for an hour. Or perhaps it was Fennec and the stranger he hated for distracting him and taking him from the kid's side. And he couldn't forget his ship was destroyed also. His home.

He wanted to shoot something.

Of course, the only thing he ended up finding that survived the blast from the Imperial cruiser was the beskar spear he had been given after saving the village with Ahsoka. As if that was a consolation for losing his ship and his child!

Wait. The child. Not his child.

Blast it all.

At least he found the little silver ball still intact too. It gave him something to focus on.

When he finally returned to Fennec and the stranger after picking through the remains of his ship, he was pissed, but he was also stranded on Tython and they were his only potential way off. Fennec had said the stranger's name was Boba Fett. That name Din did recognize, having heard of his legendary prowess as a bounty hunter and heard his name dropped when on Nevarro. He briefly studied the man: tanned skin, cropped black hair, scarred face, rugged and tough.

And Fett was wearing the armor Din had gotten from Cobb Vanth on Tatooine.

"This is all that survived," Din said, holding the spear.

"Beskar," Boba said, looking over the spear. Then he held up his left arm. "I want you to take a look at something." He pressed a button on the wrist gauntlet, and a golden hologram illuminated from it. "My chain code has been encoded in this armor for years. You see, this is me, Boba Fett." He pointed at the coding written in Mando'a. "This is my father, Jango Fett."

"Your father was a foundling," Din said, reading the code.

"Yes. He even fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars."

"Then that armor belongs to you," Din conceded. At least one good thing could come of that day: the Mandalorian armor had been returned to its rightful owner. And the owner didn't seem to constantly wear his helmet in front of others. Perhaps Bo-Katan was right, his clan was the odd one out.

"I appreciate its return." Despite the stoic face, Din could see the warm honesty in Boba's eyes. He truly was grateful to have his father's armor back. Din did wonder how he had lost it in the first place though considering it ended up in the hands of Cobb Vanth on Tatooine at least a year prior.

"Then our deal is complete."

"Not quite."

Din's head tilted the slightest bit. "How so?" he asked.

"We agreed in exchange for the return of my armor, we will ensure the safety of the Child."

"The Child's gone."

"Until he is returned to you safely, we are in your debt."

That was a plus, Din supposed. Better than them leaving him stranded on Tython with no possible way to get Grogu back. And he had a plan. They had a few stops to make.

* * *

Boba told them it would be sixteen hours to get from Tython to Nevarro through hyperspace, so that left plenty of time for the three to get acquainted with one another. Or as acquainted as each of them would allow as solitary, reserved people who were used to living and traveling alone.

The three sat in the main hold. Fennec was cleaning her weapons. Boba was fixing up the paint on his armor. Din watched as Boba painted the metal since he hadn't painted his own yet. He didn't know what to paint it, but Boba took special care with his. And since he was Mandalorian too, Din knew he had chosen the colors for specific reasons.

Green meant duty. Yellow meant remembrance. Gold meant vengeance. Red meant honoring a parent.

Din watched as Boba changed what remained of the gold striping on his helmet to red but kept the green as his main color with yellow pauldrons and red wrist gauntlets. He also noted the fixed Mythosaur on the left pauldron and what seemed like a new teal symbol on the right pauldron. Din wondered what the symbol meant, but he knew the color teal meant healing and refrained from asking, figuring it would be a more sensitive topic.

He did have questions though. When Boba set down the pauldron with the teal symbol, Din asked, "I met a woman on Nevarro who mentioned your name. She said you had sent her there. Her name was Kaleena."

Boba smiled, glancing up from the chest piece he was repainting. He was glad to have the armor back but annoyed with the state of it. And the last time he had touched up the paint, Kal had teased him about it. "Yes, I sent her," Boba replied. "Most hunters were put on your case, but when I learned it was for an Imperial remnant, I knew she'd want it. I had sworn to her I'd never to take another Imperial bounty again."

"She had the same abilities as the kid, but she wouldn't train him."

Boba paused in his painting, thinking of the possible reasons she would have for letting go of a Force-sensitive child. At least, he assumed the child was Force-sensitive based on the Mandalorian's wording. He still hadn't been told his name either.

"Probably sensed something," Boba decided. "She always had an uncanny timing ability and a certain outlook on things like destiny."

"How'd you two meet?"

That was a long story.

Boba sighed, set down his armor to dry, and closed up the paints before facing Din. Based on Din's voice and size, Boba determined him not much younger than himself, maybe just a few years difference. "Kaleena was my foundling, sort of," he explained, and he noticed that even Fennec nearby was interested in the story despite not knowing Kaleena at all. Fennec was simply curious about the man who had rescued her on Tatooine. "She left home as a teenager. I found her on Coruscant taking small bounties to make a meager living." He smiled at the memory of their meeting, remembering the defiance in her eyes as she stared up at him despite him being bigger and stronger. He always missed her when they were separated.

"We didn't have the most. . . amicable meeting," for lack of a better term, "but I saw a fire in her eyes that reminded me of myself, so I offered her a place on my ship. Taught her as much as I could about bounty hunting." Boba shook his head. "She didn't take to it completely though. It took me a while to figure out why." He noticed the slightest movement of Din's helmeted head. Of course, Boba would be curious, too. "Her abilities. Her being a Jedi."

Din wondered if Kaleena was the Jedi Ahsoka had hinted at. It wasn't as though he had brought up their meeting while on Corvus, though he did now wonder why a Mandalorian and a Jedi would live and work together. "I was told the Mandalorians and the Jedi are ancient enemies."

Boba nodded. It had been a point of contention when he had first discovered Kaleena's true heritage, and he remembered how he felt after lowering the blaster and gazing into her sad eyes. He regretted it with every fiber of his being. He regretted every time he had brought her distress, and he would spend the rest of his days trying to make it up to her.

"We are," Boba finally said, trying not to let his thoughts wander or focus on the past. "Our jetpacks help us keep up with their jumps and leaps. Our armor blocks their lightsabers. Our flamethrowers set fire to their cloaks and can't be redirected by their lightsabers. We're both warrior groups raised from birth." He ducked his head briefly, recalling the true reason he didn't like Jedi. "I have every reason for hating the Jedi, but Kaleena was different. She only wanted a family, something a Jedi's life doesn't leave much room for."

That made Din not want to bring Grogu to a Jedi, but he also didn't know what Grogu had decided on the seeing stone. Had he chosen to reach out for a Jedi? To receive training? If he had, who was Din to take him off that path? Grogu may be his foundling, but he wasn't his keeper.

But perhaps Boba could help soothe his unease.

"She said she couldn't take the kid because he deserved a life free from those who would exploit his power. And a Jedi we met on the planet Corvus said she couldn't train him because of his attachment to me and that he needed to decide his own path."

Boba's eyebrow raised. "Hm. During the time of the Republic, before the Empire, the Jedi Order took Force-sensitive infants to train them as Jedi. It was easier to learn when they started young and attachment was forbidden. They didn't have families or children or spouses except under specific circumstances."

"Why?"

"Kaleena told me it opened their hearts to fear. Left unchecked, the fear led to anger which led to hate and suffering. She said it twisted and darkened Force-users to a greater extent than ordinary people."

Din remembered the words Ahsoka had said. _I've seen what such feelings can do to a fully trained Jedi Knight. To the best of us_. Were their powers. . . could the Force lead Grogu down a dark path?

"But she found a family with you," Din pointed out, looking for hope in it all.

Boba shook his head again, that time with a small smile. "Not just me. Everyone she formed an attachment to over the years after she left home because she learned a different way. She learned it wasn't the attachment that led to darkness but the inability to let go."

That simple sentiment struck a chord with Din. He couldn't deny that he had grown attached to Grogu over the months they had spent together. He didn't want to let the kid go. He wanted to do everything in his power to get him back. And Grogu, based on Ahsoka's reading of his thoughts, was attached to him as well. But attachment was tricky for a Force-user like Grogu. Din didn't want to let him go, but what if that was the only way to let him grow?

Boba's voice snapped him out of his thoughts. "The Jedi you met on Corvus, do you know how old she was?" Boba asked.

"A little older than you perhaps."

Boba nodded slowly. "Then she grew up in the old Order. That's how she was trained, and that's how she knows to train. But Kaleena is trying to attempt a new way of training. She and the others she has gathered are building a new Jedi Order, one that people choose to join and aren't handed off by their parents from the moment they could talk. The child must choose his own path, whether that is with you, Kaleena, or something else entirely." He stood, picking up the cans of paint to return them to storage and leave Din with his thoughts surrounding the information he had been given.

It wasn't exactly what Din had been hoping for, but it was better than the way he had gone about it all before. And it made him all the more curious about Jedi.

The Armorer said the Jedi were an order of sorcerers who had battled against Mandalore the Great, but the two he had met, he had fought alongside. Were they really as bad as the Armorer had made them seem? Bo-Katan, who had lived on Mandalore and fought in the Great Purge, had sent him to a Jedi and seemed friendly with her. And Boba, the son of a foundling who had fought in the Mandalorian Civil Wars, had helped raise one.

Din still didn't understand the whole Jedi business, but so far, they didn't seem all too bad. He wondered why they were even enemies in the first place.

* * *

He thought they were done for.

Din, Bo-Katan, Fennec, Koska, and Cara had, for all intents and purposes, succeeded at storming Moff Gideon's Imperial cruiser and saved Grogu, at least until the Dark Troopers had returned and cornered them on the bridge. Din had barely been able to fight one, so he had no idea how they were going to fight against an entire platoon of the advanced battle droids. But they had been saved by a stranger dressed in black.

With Gideon in custody, he had tried to shoot his way out once he had seen the footage of the mysterious person slicing through the troopers with ease, first attempting to shoot Bo-Katan and the kid then himself, and Cara knocked him unconscious before he could succeed.

As Din and the others watched the doors open and their savior stepped inside, he eyed the green energy sword, similar to the white ones Ahsoka had possessed. The stranger sheathed the blade and clipped it to his belt before pulling back the dark hood that obscured his face, showing the face of a young man with a calm expression. He didn't seem tired from the effort he exerted at defeating the droids nor did he seem annoyed or peeved, so Din wasn't sure what to make of him. Din did, however, recognize the sound of the laser sword once again, having first heard it on Nevarro when leaving Kaleena behind then again on Corvus with Ahsoka, and he also noticed that only one of his hands were gloved.

Grogu had seemed to feel some sort of connection with watching the stranger on the security camera footage, so Din had one question to make sure. "Are you a Jedi?"

The man slowly nodded. "I am. You must be the Mandalorian hunter I've heard so much about." Din was momentarily taken aback, and the stranger seemed to notice the slight movement. "I believe you met my wife on Nevarro. She spoke highly of the youngling's abilities and your dedication to protecting him." Din barely had time to react before the stranger's eyes turned to Bo-Katan who still wore her helmet. "And you must be Bo-Katan Kryze. Both Sabine and Ahsoka have discussed you at length, at least when Ahsoka's at the temple."

Bo-Katan studied the new man, not recognizing him in the slightest, but she decided to focus on his words. "Sabine is still alive and well?" she asked.

"She rarely leaves Ezra's side, and Ezra spends much of his time at our temple," he explained. "Some parts of the temple include your likeness, particularly the Nite Owl insignia, due to her artistry, along with a few other Mandalorians like her parents and Duchess Satine."

Din grew even more confused. There stood this Jedi readily talking about Mandalorians to a Mandalorian. It wasn't what he expected at all. But the stranger had described himself as the husband of the woman Din had met on Nevarro, and that could only be Kaleena.

Bo-Katan scoffed and sheathed her pistols which she had taken from their holsters when the Dark Troopers were trying to break through the blast door, but if the Jedi before her was friends with Sabine and Ezra, then she knew she was in no danger, and Koska followed her lead as well. They both took off their helmets as well, holding them to their sides.

"A Jedi Temple decorated with Mandalorians," Bo-Katan remarked. "Sounds interesting."

The stranger partially shrugged with a nod, the corner of his mouth lifting in quiet amusement. "I suppose it is strange from a historical perspective, but from my understanding, you personally have fought alongside many Jedi: Ezra, Kanan, Ahsoka, and Obi-Wan."

She smiled sadly. "My sister knew Master Kenobi far better than I, I'm afraid."

He bowed his head in respect. He remembered being told of the brief story, or pieces of it at least, through Ahsoka and Sabine. How Obi-Wan had befriended Duchess Satine on a mission when he was a padawan and she was used to lure him to Mandalore after it had been taken over by Maul, a former Sith. He could tell her something she didn't know though, learned through Ezra. "My apologies. It may be worth noting Maul was killed by him on Tatooine about twenty years ago."

Bo-Katan lifted her chin higher. "That is pleasing to hear. You know my name, what's yours?"

"I'm Luke Skywalker."

Cara's eyes widened from her spot behind everyone. She had long since lowered her heavy blaster rifle since she had trusted Din's judgment on letting in the stranger who had been slicing through the droids like they were nothing, but at no point had she believed their savior would be Luke Skywalker. If she had it in her arms, she didn't trust herself to not have dropped it in shock.

"Commander Skywalker?" Cara said in disbelief. She would know the name anywhere. The man who had avenged the destruction of Alderaan, her home. "The one who blew up the first Death Star? The leader of Rogue Group? The one who killed Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine?"

Din didn't miss Luke's sudden discomfort at the achievements listed, noticing the hint of red threatening to spread across his face. The man was cool and collected until someone decided to expound upon his accomplishments.

"It didn't quite-"

Bo-Katan cut Luke off before he could finish his correction, recognizing his last name. "Any relation to Anakin Skywalker, Ahsoka's former master?"

"My father." Luke didn't add anything else, so Din wondered what had happened to his father and why Bo-Katan knew of him, though he knew he wouldn't get any answers to those questions. Family always seemed to be a difficult topic those days.

Their attention was drawn to the sound of beeping coming from the hall. Luke looked back to see his astromech droid strolling into the room, up to his side, letting loose a string of beeps and whistles. Luke smiled and set his gloved hand on the droid's head.

"Alright, Artoo," Luke said quietly. They were expected back at the temple soon, so he turned to Din and the small green child resting on a nearby chair. Grogu was eyeing Luke and Artoo with great interest. Luke held out his hand. "Are you ready, little one?"

Grogu tilted his head up to Din, looking at him with his wide eyes, but the only one who could truly understand him and hear his thoughts were Luke, so since Grogu hadn't attempted to move and follow Luke, Din misinterpreted the kid's meaning.

"He doesn't want to go with you," Din said, looking from Grogu back to Luke.

Luke gently shook his head, sensing the protectiveness the Mandalorian bounty hunter had toward the child. "He wants your permission," Luke corrected. Din lifted his head and Luke sensed the conflict within him. "He is strong with the Force, but talent without training is nothing. I will give my life to protect the Child and defend him as if he is one of my own, but he will not be safe until he masters his abilities." He was trying his best to reassure Din that all would be well and Grogu would be just as safe with him as he would be with Din.

Din turned to Grogu and slowly walked over to the child he had been taking care of for months at that point. He had come to see himself almost as Grogu's father despite his attempts, feeble and in vain as they were, to not form an attachment to him. Din didn't want to see the kid could, but his thoughts dwelled on everything he had learned from his talk with Boba.

Din had to let Grogu go.

He picked Grogu up from the chair, holding him in his arms. "Hey, go on," Din said gently, looking at him from beneath his helmet. "That's who you belong with. He's one of your kind." Grogu's ears dipped a little, and he reached out his little hand. "I'll see you again. I promise."

Tears were welling in his eyes, and he decided to do one last thing for the kid and for himself. He wanted to look on him with his own eyes and allow Grogu to see his face.

Din lifted his helmet. Grogu's ears perked up and he stared with wide eyes as the helmet was taken off. It didn't matter who was in the room with them because for a moment it was just the two of them. It had been the two of them for the longest time, fighting to stay alive, fighting to survive. But now they didn't have to fight anymore. The mission was complete.

So why did Din feel so empty at the thought of letting him go?

He knew why. _By Creed, until it is or age or reunited with its own kind, you are as its father_. He was Grogu's father and Grogu was his child, regardless of blood. They were a clan of two. Clan Djarin with the signet of a mudhorn. And even though it was easily the hardest thing he had ever had to do, Din needed to let him go. No matter what, he would always consider Grogu family.

And it broke his heart when Grogu reached up to touch his face. A final act of goodbye.

"Alright, pal," he said quietly, still staring sadly down at the kid. "It's time to go." Ahsoka's words echoed through his mind, reminding him. _His attachment to you makes him vulnerable to his fears_. "Don't be afraid."

Din bent down to set Grogu on the floor at his feet. With one final look up and a soft hug on Din's leg, Grogu turned to Luke and Artoo and started walking over. Din straightened out and made eye contact with Luke who nodded in reassurance, and while Din wanted nothing more than to stay with Grogu, he knew the man was earnest and honest. He trusted Luke to keep his word and protect Grogu with his life. And Din wouldn't be the one to hold Grogu back from his chosen path.

The others watched in amazement, all shocked to have seen Din take off his helmet even if they couldn't see his face, but Din made no move to put it back on, still holding it at his side. He didn't care if they saw his face, only that Grogu saw it, and he didn't plan on putting it back on until Grogu had left with the Jedi.

Artoo whistled and beeped as Grogu shuffled over, and when Grogu lifted his arms to Luke, showing he was ready to go, Luke picked him up, cradling him in his arms.

Luke looked at Din once more and said, "May the Force be with you."

Just as Luke was about to make his exit, a ship dropped out of hyperspace, alerting the scanners. Everyone turned to the forward windows to see who entered the airspace, and Luke's eyebrows furrowed when he recognized the ship.

"Is that the _Slave I_?" he asked. Of all the possible ships to drop out of hyperspace at that moment, the _Slave I_ was the least likely one that he would have guessed, though he wasn't disappointed in the slightest.

Koska raised a brow, adjusting her stance. "You know it?"

"Boba Fett's ship."

Fennec leaned over to one of the terminals and pressed a button. "You're free to land," she told the pilot. "The cruiser is secure. And we have a guest."

The ship flew by and moved around the side of the Imperial cruiser to land in one of the hangar bays. "A guest?" Boba repeated through the comm channel. "Alright."

Luke recognized the voice more than he recognized the ship. "Yeah, that's Fett," he said offhandedly.

"You two have a history?" Cara asked.

"It's a long story, but if you're asking if we're enemies, no."

The two Nite Owls looked at the Jedi oddly, wondering how in the galaxy he knew the infamous bounty hunter Boba Fett enough to not consider him an enemy and recognize the ship at first glance and the voice with just a few words.

It didn't take long for Boba Fett to join the group at the bridge, simply following the path of destruction left behind by first the women who had killed the regular troopers then Luke who had dealt with the droids. And when he walked into the room, he immediately recognized Luke who still stood there holding Grogu. Luke knew that Kal would be disappointed if he didn't at least check to see how Boba was fairing before leaving.

"Skywalker," Boba greeted with a subtle nod.

"Fett," Luke returned.

There was a tense, silent moment between the two. Tense for the others, at least, not really for Boba and Luke. "Look at us bonding," Boba joked, and Luke picked up the smile in his tone. "I'm sure Kal would be so proud."

"I'm sure she'd be happier if we were on a first-name basis."

"Well, as long as I'm not expected to be on a first-name basis with Solo."

"I think he'd sooner jump in a Sarlacc pit."

Boba burst into a laugh and took off his helmet as Luke grinned. Boba took a few steps forward, shifting his gaze to the child in Luke's arms. "So, that's the little womp rat causing so much fuss." He leaned down a little, reaching out and letting Grogu wrap his little hand around Boba's finger. "You'll like it at the temple, little one. There are other kids there to play with, and the temple has plenty of space to run around in. And maybe if you bat your eyes, Ezra will let you dig into his stash of sweets." Grogu giggled as Boba shook his little hand.

"Don't be a stranger. . . Boba."

Boba nodded, straightening up. "Tell Kal I said 'hello.'"

"You should tell her yourself." Luke gave him a pointed look. He then waved for Artoo to follow. "Come, Artoo."

Luke moved around Boba and started down the hall with Artoo by his side and Grogu in his arms. Grogu looked over Luke's shoulder, waving a small, silent goodbye to Din who gave him a small smile as they left. Once the elevator door closed, Din finally looked at his helmet. He had broken the Mandalorian Creed for Grogu and didn't know what to do next.

Boba set his hand on Din's shoulder, causing him to look up. "I can take you to the temple to see him when you're ready," Boba offered. "Just say the word. But I swear he'll be happy there."

"You're welcome at a Jedi temple?" Bo-Katan asked, shock and disbelief threatening to overtake her tone.

"I'm family." He then focused on Din again. "And now, so are you."


End file.
